Club manager now admits Arsenal transfer is ‘top of my list’
John Eustace expressed his desire to retain Auston Trusty for the upcoming season and establish a Birmingham City team consisting of high-caliber professionals, with the American defender as a key component.
Trusty demonstrated his ability to bounce back quickly from injury by returning to fitness in just a few days after suffering a calf injury, and impressed in his recent appearance on the left of a back three against Wigan Athletic, despite having played 57 games in a little over a year, spanning both the MLS and Championship seasons.
This is especially noteworthy considering that Blues have lost five of their seven centre-backs to injuries that required extended recovery periods. Additionally, Trusty is currently on loan from Arsenal.
Except for two brief intervals – one between leaving the Colorado Rapids and joining Blues, and another during the World Cup period – Auston Trusty has only been absent from four games since February 2022.
That earned him the praise of Blues head coach. “That really did show his commitment as a loan player, one hundred per cent,” Eustace said. “What a fantastic pro, a fantastic player, he has been a great servant for us this season.
“As I said last week on the Friday he turned up and said ‘I am ready to play’. A fantastic attitude and his performance was brilliant as well. We are very fortunate to have good professionals here at the football club and Auston is certainly one of the them.
“He is very robust, he is an athlete, very fit, a top professional, he has come over from the States and he is just living football. He has got no distractions. He goes home, watches football, comes back, plays football, eats the right stuff. He is a true professional and I think him coming back in the team last week – what a difference it made.
“I would love to keep him. I am sure there is a chance, definitely – but it’s out of my control. All I can say is I would love to keep him at the football club and I think all the fans would love to see him stay at the football club as well. When we want to build those are the kind of characters we want here so he would be top of my list.”
Auston Trusty, originally from Pennsylvania, played for his hometown team Philadelphia Union for two years before moving to Colorado in 2019. He signed with Arsenal in January 2022 but continued to play for the MLS team until the summer. Prior to the Luton game, Trusty was the only outfield player on the Blues’ team to have played every minute of the season so far.
Club manager now admits Arsenal transfer is ‘top of my list’
